thumb|The Drum Tower, as seen from the Bell Tower at its rear

thumb|200px|The Bell Tower

thumb|Principal drum in the Drum Tower. Out of the original 25 drums, this is the only remaining one.

The Drum Tower of Beijing, or Gulou (), is situated at the northern end of the central axis of the Inner City to the north of Di'anmen Street. Originally built for musical reasons, it was later used to announce the time and is now a tourist attraction.

The Bell Tower of Beijing, or Zhonglou (), stands closely behind the drum tower. Together, the Bell Tower and Drum Tower have panoramic views over central Beijing. Before the modern era, both towers dominated the Beijing skyline.

Function

Both bells and drums were used as musical instruments in ancient China. Later, they were used by government and communities to announce the time. The Bell and Drum Towers were central to official timekeeping in China during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

The Bell and Drum Towers continued to function as the official timepiece of Beijing until 1924. That year, the Beijing Coup led to the expulsion of Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, from the Forbidden City, and the adoption of Western-style clocks for official time-keeping.

thumb|200px|The Drum Tower seen from the road

thumb|200px|Performance at the Drum Tower

History

The Drum Tower was built in 1272 during the Yuan dynasty. At that time the city was called Khanbaliq and the tower was named the Tower of Orderly Administration ().

In the 1980s, after much repair work, the Bell and Drum Towers were opened to tourists.

During the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, three people were stabbed at the Drum Tower, resulting in one death.

Architecture

The Drum Tower is a -tall two-story building made of wood. The upper story of the building housed one main drum and 24 smaller drums, of which only the main drum remains. New drums have been made to replace them. Nearby stands the Bell Tower, a -tall edifice with gray walls and a green glazed roof.

See also

  • Imperial City, Beijing

References

  • Chinaguide.com: The Beijing Drum Tower — 360-degree virtual tour and photographs.
  • — 30 high quality photographs.